For Release: Wednesday, June 21, 2017
MOUNTAIN-PLAINS INFORMATION OFFICE: Kansas City, Mo.
Technical information: (816) 285-7000 [email protected]
Media contact:
(816) 285-7000
17-864-KAN
www.bls.gov/regions/mountain-plains
County Employment and Wages in Colorado – Fourth Quarter 2016
Employment rose in all nine large counties in Colorado from December 2015 to December 2016, the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. (Large counties are defined as those with employment of
75,000 or more as measured by 2015 annual average employment.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional
Operations Stanley W. Suchman noted that 7 of the 9 counties reported employment growth exceeding the
national average of 1.2 percent. Adams County had the largest increase at 3.6 percent. Employment in Weld
County rose the least among the large counties with an increase of 0.2 percent from December 2015 to
December 2016.
Nationally, employment increased in 280 of the 344 largest U.S. counties from December 2015 to
December 2016. Williamson, Tenn., had the largest percentage increase with a gain of 5.1 percent over the
year. Lafayette, La, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment among the largest
counties in the U.S. with a loss of 5.1 percent.
Among the nine largest counties in Colorado, employment was highest in Denver (501,700) in December
2016. Four other counties—Adams, Arapahoe, El Paso, and Jefferson—had employment levels exceeding
200,000. Together, the nine large counties accounted for 80.5 percent of total employment within the state.
Nationwide, the 344 largest counties made up 72.8 percent of total U.S. employment.
Average weekly wages declined in all nine large counties in Colorado from the fourth quarter of 2015 to the
fourth quarter of 2016. Wages in Douglas County had the largest rate of decline (-6.8 percent). Nationally,
average weekly wages decreased 1.5 percent. Average weekly wages in five of the large counties exceeded
the national average of $1,067. Denver had the highest average weekly wage among the state’s largest
counties at $1,287, followed by Boulder ($1,237), Arapahoe ($1,227), Douglas ($1,204), and Jefferson
($1,072). (See table 1.)
Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 55 counties in
Colorado with employment below 75,000. Of these smaller counties, Broomfield ($1,440) and Pitkin
($1,096) had average weekly wages above the national average. (See table 2.)
Large county wage changes
All nine large counties in Colorado had wage declines from the fourth quarter of 2015 to the fourth quarter
of 2016, with four counties posting declines greater than the U.S. average decrease of 1.5 percent. (See table
1.) Douglas County had the largest wage decline (-6.8 percent), placing 341st in the national ranking. Weld
(-2.9 percent, 268th), Boulder (-2.4 percent, 237th), and Arapahoe (-1.8 percent, 183rd) also had wage losses
that exceeded the national average. Wages in the remaining five large counties declined less than the
national average, with Denver (-0.4 percent, 70th) and Larimer (-0.6 percent, 84th) placing in the top quartile
of the national ranking.
Among the 344 largest counties in the U.S., 290 had over-the-year declines in average weekly wages in the
fourth quarter of 2016. McLean, Ill., had the largest percentage decline in average weekly wages with a loss
of 9.2 percent. Forty-eight of the 344 largest counties experienced over-the-year increases in average
weekly wages. Clayton, Ga., ranked first in average weekly wage growth with an increase of 11.3 percent.
Large county average weekly wages
Five of the state’s large counties had average weekly wages that were above the national average of $1,067.
Denver ($1,287) and Boulder ($1,237) ranked 35th and 43rd, respectively, followed by the counties of
Arapahoe ($1,227, 46th) and Douglas ($1,204, 52nd). Jefferson’s average weekly wage was close to the
national average ($1,072, 96th). The average weekly wages in Colorado’s four other large counties ranged
from $900 to $1,022.
Nationally, weekly wages were higher than the U.S. average of $1,067 in 100 of the 344 largest counties.
Santa Clara, Calif., held the top position among the highest-paid large counties with an average weekly
wage of $2,365, followed by New York, N.Y. ($2,212), and San Mateo, Calif. ($2,098). Among the 243
large counties with an average weekly wage below the U.S. average in the fourth quarter of 2016, Cameron,
Texas ($640), reported the lowest wage.
Average weekly wages in Colorado’s smaller counties
Of the 55 counties in Colorado with employment below 75,000, only Broomfield ($1,440) and Pitkin
($1,096) had average weekly wages above the national average. San Juan County had the lowest weekly
wage in the state with an average of $504 in the fourth quarter of 2016. (See table 2.)
When all 64 counties in Colorado were considered, six reported average weekly wages of $599 or less, 16
reported wages from $600 to $699, 18 had wages from $700 to $799, nine had wages from $800 to $899,
and 15 had wages of $900 or higher. Nine of the high-wage counties were concentrated in the corridor
between Colorado Springs and the Wyoming border that includes metropolitan areas such as Denver and
Greeley. (See chart 1.)
Additional statistics and other information
Quarterly data for states have been included in this release in table 3. For additional information about
quarterly employment and wages data, please read the Technical Note or visit the QCEW Web site at
www.bls.gov/cew/.
Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online features comprehensive information by detailed industry
on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all states. The 2015 edition of this publication
contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well
as selected data from the first quarter 2016 version of the national news release. Tables and additional
content from the 2015 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online are now available at
www.bls.gov/cew/cewbultn15.htm. The 2016 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online
will be available in September 2017.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice
phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.
2
The County Employment and Wages release for first quarter 2017 is scheduled to be released on
Wednesday, September 6, 2017.
Upcoming Industry Changes to QCEW Data
Beginning with the release of first quarter 2017 data, the program will switch to the 2017 version of the
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) as the basis for the assignment and tabulation
of economic data by industry. For more information on the change, please see the Federal Register
notice at www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/federal_register_notices/notices/fr08au16.pdf.
Technical Note
Average weekly wage data by county are compiled under the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
(QCEW) program, also known as the ES-202 program. The data are derived from summaries of
employment and total pay of workers covered by state and federal unemployment insurance (UI) legislation
and provided by State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). The 9.9 million employer reports cover 143.7 million
full- and part-time workers. The average weekly wage values are calculated by dividing quarterly total
wages by the average of the three monthly employment levels of those covered by UI programs. The result
is then divided by 13, the number of weeks in a quarter. It is to be noted, therefore, that over-the-year wage
changes for geographic areas may reflect shifts in the composition of employment by industry, occupation,
and such other factors as hours of work. Thus, wages may vary among counties, metropolitan areas, or
states for reasons other than changes in the average wage level. Data for all states, Metropolitan Statistical
Areas (MSAs), counties, and the nation are available on the BLS Web site at www.bls.gov/cew/; however,
data in QCEW press releases have been revised and may not match the data contained on the Bureau’s Web
site.
QCEW data are not designed as a time series. QCEW data are simply the sums of individual establishment
records reflecting the number of establishments that exist in a county or industry at a point in time.
Establishments can move in or out of a county or industry for a number of reasons—some reflecting
economic events, others reflecting administrative changes.
The preliminary QCEW data presented in this release may differ from data released by the individual states
as well as from the data presented on the BLS Web site. These potential differences result from the states’
continuing receipt, review and editing of UI data over time. On the other hand, differences between data in
this release and the data found on the BLS Web site are the result of adjustments made to improve over-theyear comparisons. Specifically, these adjustments account for administrative (noneconomic) changes such
as a correction to a previously reported location or industry classification. Adjusting for these administrative
changes allows users to more accurately assess changes of an economic nature (such as a firm moving from
one county to another or changing its primary economic activity) over a 12-month period. Currently,
adjusted data are available only from BLS press releases.
3
Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the United States and the 9 largest counties in Colorado, fourth
quarter 2016
Average weekly wage (1)
Employment
Area
December
2016
(thousands)
Percent
change,
December
2015-16 (2)
National
ranking by
percent
change (3)
Average
weekly
wage
National
ranking by
level (3)
Percent
change,
fourth
quarter
2015-16 (2)
National
ranking by
percent
change (3)
United States (4)...........................................
143,749.9
1.2
--
$1,067
--
-1.5
--
Colorado..................................................
Adams, Colo.........................................
Arapahoe, Colo. ...................................
Boulder, Colo........................................
Denver, Colo.........................................
Douglas, Colo.......................................
El Paso, Colo........................................
Jefferson, Colo. ....................................
Larimer, Colo. .......................................
Weld, Colo. ...........................................
2,588.6
202.0
324.6
179.9
501.7
118.9
268.0
234.4
154.0
100.4
2.0
3.6
1.6
3.0
2.8
1.8
2.7
0.7
2.5
0.2
-14
139
39
50
114
58
223
71
264
1,086
1,022
1,227
1,237
1,287
1,204
943
1,072
980
900
12
130
46
43
35
52
194
96
167
241
-1.5
-1.3
-1.8
-2.4
-0.4
-6.8
-1.4
-0.9
-0.6
-2.9
24
144
183
237
70
341
149
110
84
268
Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Percent changes were computed from quarterly employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications.
(3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment
Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
4
Table 2. Covered employment and wages in the United States and all counties in Colorado, 4th quarter 2016
Area
Employment December 2016
United States(2) .....................................................................................
Colorado..............................................................................................
Adams .............................................................................................
Alamosa ..........................................................................................
Arapahoe.........................................................................................
Archuleta .........................................................................................
Baca ................................................................................................
Bent .................................................................................................
Boulder ............................................................................................
Broomfield .......................................................................................
Chaffee ............................................................................................
Cheyenne ........................................................................................
Clear Creek .....................................................................................
Conejos ...........................................................................................
Costilla.............................................................................................
Crowley ...........................................................................................
Custer ..............................................................................................
Delta ................................................................................................
Denver .............................................................................................
Dolores ............................................................................................
Douglas ...........................................................................................
Eagle ...............................................................................................
Elbert ...............................................................................................
El Paso ............................................................................................
Fremont ...........................................................................................
Garfield ............................................................................................
Gilpin ...............................................................................................
Grand ..............................................................................................
Gunnison .........................................................................................
Hinsdale ..........................................................................................
Huerfano..........................................................................................
Jackson ...........................................................................................
Jefferson..........................................................................................
Kiowa...............................................................................................
Kit Carson........................................................................................
Lake.................................................................................................
La Plata ...........................................................................................
Larimer ............................................................................................
Las Animas......................................................................................
Lincoln .............................................................................................
Logan ..............................................................................................
Mesa................................................................................................
Mineral.............................................................................................
Moffat...............................................................................................
Montezuma......................................................................................
Montrose .........................................................................................
Morgan ............................................................................................
Otero ...............................................................................................
Ouray...............................................................................................
Park .................................................................................................
Phillips .............................................................................................
Pitkin................................................................................................
Prowers ...........................................................................................
Pueblo .............................................................................................
Rio Blanco .......................................................................................
Rio Grande ......................................................................................
Routt ................................................................................................
143,749,910
2,588,551
201,985
8,028
324,567
4,065
1,096
1,215
179,896
37,236
7,487
691
3,169
1,416
859
1,100
851
8,297
501,707
516
118,876
34,331
3,444
268,044
13,371
25,325
4,885
7,938
8,291
258
1,689
530
234,437
476
2,851
2,331
26,581
154,020
4,729
2,165
8,154
59,716
623
4,655
8,823
14,525
12,049
5,966
1,594
2,381
1,651
18,390
4,350
60,152
2,667
3,827
15,883
Note: See footnotes at end of table.
5
Average Weekly Wage(1)
$1,067
1,086
1,022
714
1,227
654
563
667
1,237
1,440
736
803
855
587
542
770
699
646
1,287
646
1,204
890
814
943
753
925
759
688
687
629
580
683
1,072
669
701
684
935
980
724
713
730
816
590
921
680
752
814
668
712
755
719
1,096
636
800
974
769
883
Table 2. Covered employment and wages in the United States and all counties in Colorado, 4th quarter 2016
- Continued
Area
Employment December 2016
Saguache ........................................................................................
San Juan .........................................................................................
San Miguel ......................................................................................
Sedgwick .........................................................................................
Summit ............................................................................................
Teller ................................................................................................
Washington......................................................................................
Weld ................................................................................................
Yuma ...............................................................................................
1,478
282
5,846
795
23,836
7,087
1,210
100,436
3,939
Average Weekly Wage(1)
628
504
818
663
781
735
721
900
733
Footnotes(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
NOTE: Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
Data are preliminary.
6
Table 3. Covered employment and wages by state, fourth quarter 2016
Average weekly wage (1)
Employment
State
December
2016
(thousands)
Percent
change,
December
2015-16
Average
weekly wage
Percent
change, fourth
quarter
2015-16
National
ranking by
level
National
ranking by
percent
change
United States (2)...............................................
143,749.9
1.2
1067
--
-1.5
--
Alabama .......................................................
Alaska...........................................................
Arizona .........................................................
Arkansas ......................................................
California ......................................................
Colorado.......................................................
Connecticut ..................................................
Delaware ......................................................
District of Columbia ......................................
Florida ..........................................................
Georgia.........................................................
Hawaii...........................................................
Idaho ............................................................
Illinois ...........................................................
Indiana..........................................................
Iowa ..............................................................
Kansas .........................................................
Kentucky.......................................................
Louisiana ......................................................
Maine............................................................
Maryland.......................................................
Massachusetts .............................................
Michigan .......................................................
Minnesota.....................................................
Mississippi ....................................................
Missouri ........................................................
Montana .......................................................
Nebraska ......................................................
Nevada .........................................................
New Hampshire............................................
New Jersey...................................................
New Mexico..................................................
New York ......................................................
North Carolina ..............................................
North Dakota ................................................
Ohio ..............................................................
Oklahoma .....................................................
Oregon .........................................................
Pennsylvania ................................................
Rhode Island ................................................
South Carolina..............................................
South Dakota................................................
Tennessee ....................................................
Texas ............................................................
Utah ..............................................................
Vermont ........................................................
Virginia..........................................................
Washington...................................................
West Virginia ................................................
Wisconsin .....................................................
Wyoming ......................................................
Puerto Rico...................................................
1,932.6
310.0
2,760.1
1,205.4
16,923.3
2,588.6
1,685.5
441.2
760.9
8,538.9
4,349.3
658.3
691.6
5,947.6
3,021.7
1,542.0
1,384.5
1,894.2
1,907.4
602.6
2,666.7
3,530.4
4,283.0
2,839.7
1,134.0
2,783.2
456.5
972.4
1,307.8
656.9
4,042.1
811.4
9,332.5
4,326.3
414.4
5,365.6
1,587.7
1,860.7
5,799.8
478.3
2,024.3
419.9
2,947.5
11,974.7
1,415.1
312.6
3,831.6
3,227.9
693.1
2,842.4
265.8
928.2
0.7
-1.9
2.1
0.4
1.9
2.0
0.0
-0.1
0.5
2.7
2.4
0.7
3.2
0.4
0.9
0.1
0.1
0.6
-1.6
0.8
1.0
1.3
1.5
1.2
0.0
0.9
0.7
0.0
2.7
1.3
1.4
0.0
1.2
1.8
-3.2
0.7
-1.2
2.4
0.7
0.0
1.8
0.5
1.8
1.2
2.9
0.1
0.6
2.8
-1.6
0.5
-3.9
-0.3
901
1038
945
827
1271
1086
1289
1055
1763
942
993
954
800
1122
883
911
877
874
914
855
1169
1352
1026
1062
756
918
822
876
924
1092
1239
844
1342
932
978
943
864
970
1039
1027
855
828
970
1072
910
897
1091
1150
809
924
894
555
35
17
25
47
5
12
4
15
1
27
20
24
50
9
38
33
39
41
32
43
7
2
19
14
51
31
48
40
29
10
6
45
3
28
21
26
42
22
16
18
43
46
22
13
34
36
11
8
49
29
37
-1.3
-5.2
-2.2
-1.4
-0.3
-1.5
-3.4
-2.9
0.6
-1.8
-0.9
-0.3
-0.4
-2
-0.9
-1
-2.2
-1.4
-2.9
-2.1
-0.4
-2.4
-1.6
-1.1
-1.8
-1.7
0.5
-0.5
-1.2
-4.1
-1.9
-2.5
-2.3
-0.7
-4.2
-2.3
-3.5
-1
-2.3
-1.6
-0.6
-0.5
-1.1
-2.5
-0.3
-2.4
-0.3
1.7
-2.5
-2
-4.7
-1.9
21
51
34
22
4
24
46
44
2
28
14
4
8
31
14
16
34
22
44
33
8
39
25
18
28
27
3
10
20
48
30
41
36
13
49
36
47
16
36
25
12
10
18
41
4
39
4
1
41
31
50
Note: See footnotes at end of table.
7
(3)
(3)
Table 3. Covered employment and wages by state, fourth quarter 2016 - Continued
Average weekly wage (1)
Employment
State
Virgin Islands ................................................
December
2016
(thousands)
Percent
change,
December
2015-16
38.5
0.2
Average
weekly wage
769
Percent
change, fourth
quarter
2015-16
National
ranking by
level
(3)
National
ranking by
percent
change
-1.8
Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(3) Data not included in the national ranking.
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment
Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
8
(3)
9